


The Light Horse Brigade

by LauramourFromOz



Series: The Diggers Of The ANZAC [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: ANZAC Day, ANZACs Make Everything Better, Lest We Forget, We're Rather Good That Way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 10:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6653467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauramourFromOz/pseuds/LauramourFromOz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In witch most of The ANZACs of the SGC are captured off world on ANZAC Day and they send in The Light Horse Brigade in the form of Lieutenant Colonel Jayne Eastick and SG-2.</p><p>I would like to dedicate this to the members of the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces, their predecessors and their Reservists past and present. For your service we salute you.</p><p>Check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LaurAmourFromOz</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Light Horse Brigade

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the same universe as ‘The (Alien Fighting, Problem Solving, Miracle Working) Girl from Oz’
> 
> The Light Horse Brigade were a unit kind of like The American Cavalry in WWI but Australian/Kiwi. They were pretty Awesome.
> 
> I apologise for the token Kiwi in advance. In my defence all my ANZACs are based on people and Charlie is the only one based on a real life Kiwi.
> 
> For those who don’t know Kiwi is a slang term for a New Zealander. Two up is a game and a gunfire breakfast is mince on toast and is the traditional breakfast on ANZAC Day (it’s actually delicious). Henry Morant and Andrew Patterson are named after Banjo Patterson and Breaker Morant who were both bush poets who fought in the Second Boer War and Patterson also in the First World war.
> 
> The poem Jayne recites is Short Shrift by the actual Breaker Morant and he wrote it awaiting execution in a prison cell. And The Ode of Remembrance is taken from the poem For The Fallen by Lawrence Binyon. The two songs are Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Patterson and Home Among The Gumtrees by John Williamson.
> 
> I am Aware that the Army are the ones who wear the brown slouch hats not the RAAF but Jayne is a special case. She wears the hat because her great grandfather was a war hero and she has a slightly modified uniform anyway because of her status as liaison to the crown. The other ANZACs are Army.

There were only a few ANZACs at the SGC. Lieutenant Colonel Jayne Eastick, Captain Tommy Eastick, Lieutenant Charlie Franklin, Lieutenant Henry Morant, and Sergeant Andrew Patterson. Of the five of them Charlie was the only Kiwi. Tommy, Charlie, Henry, and Andrew made up SG-11 and are occasionally joined by Jayne.

For the first time in all the (admittedly very few) ANZAC Days they had been at the SGC SG-11 were off-world without Jayne. They had spent one ANZAC Day off-world together, the others they had been on stand down. General Hammond usually arranged it so they could all be in the same place and it was supposed to be that way this year. Except SG-11 were missing. That was perhaps a little dramatic. They were three hours late returning. They had been this late before. Lost track of time. And really that was just like Uncle Tommy. But it wasn’t. Not in the field. On base, yes. In his personal life, yes. When he played music, yes. But never off-world. Never on missions. Never this much. Not to mention that it was definitely uncharacteristic of Charlie, Banjo, and Breaker. And there she was worried again.

She made her way to the surface of the mountain she sat cross legged under a tree and performed her lone ritual of solemn remembrance. She looked to the sky with her brown slouch hat over her heart and recited the ode.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

We will remember them.

After a moment she put her hat back on and went back in to see General Hammond.

“General, request permission to lead the rescue of SG-11.”

“Are you sure that’s a wise move Colonel.”

“No sir, but it is the right one.”

“We aren’t even sure they are even missing. You know your Uncle can be somewhat…”

“Yes Sir, I know that but my ANZAC sense is tingling. I’m not saying that I have some kind of psycic connection or anything and I can’t really explain but I know that something’s up. Maybe it’s this day or something to do with the ancient gene Tommy and I have or any one of a thousand other things but I know that they need help and I know that I need to help them.”

“Alright Inform SG-2 to be ready to leave in twenty. You have a go.”

An hour later and they found out that SG-11 had been captured by the local inhabitants of the planet for desecrating their most sacred cultural symbol on this, their most sacred day. Jayne was not entirely sure what they meant by that. Until she noticed that all of the soldiers were in brown slouch hats with their sides turned up and a badge resembling the rising sun logo that pinned up her own. All she could think then was that they had finally found it. The planet of The ANZACs, on ANZAC Day no less. With only Jaynes attire being offensive to them and her being among her heavily armed team they were reluctant to apprehend her. Instead they asked an explanation of her. And so she told them. She told them of the ANZAC Legend and the history that forged it. The Rats Of Tubruk, The Diggers Of The ANZAC, The Light Horse Brigade. The Peacekeepers. The Nurses. The Engineers. The Heroes. The ordinary men and women who roll up their sleeves and lend a hand. She told them about The ANZAC Spirit, About Mateship. About resilience.

It had been, to say the least, a moving speech. Raw and honest and Paul had been privately apprehensive that it would prove to be overly so. It had worked nonetheless and they had been offered quick apologies and been extended an invitation to remain for the rest of their festivities. Jayne had readily accepted and requested that she be allowed to release SG-11.

The room SG-11 were being kept in was a holding cell. They had been checked on periodically but were largely left unguarded because of the festivities. Tommy, who had been trying (and failing) to pick the lock of the cell stopped abruptly when he saw Jayne’s silhouette in the frosted glass of the door, mistaking her for their regular guard check. She casually leaned a hip on the desk and recited verbatim:

I can mind him at the start -

Easy seat and merry heart!

Said he, as he threw a glance

At the crawling ambulance:

 

"Some day I'll be on the ground

And the van will hurry round!

Doc. will gravely wag his head:

'No use now! the poor chap's dead!'

 

"Every man must, soon or late,

Turn up at the Golden Gate:

When we weigh in - you and I -

How can horsemen better die!"

 

On that sunlit steeple course

He lay prone beneath his horse,

Never more his pal may ride

By that gallant hlorseman's side.

 

"Reckless fool?" What matter, mate?

All his time he'd ridden straight -

Went (smashed 'gainst that wall of sod!)

Spurred and booted to his God.

  
Carve in stone above his head

Words that some old Christian said:

"Grace he sought, and grace he found,

'Twixt the saddle and the ground!"

“Ha, Bloddy Ha. Colonel.” Breaker had said while the rest of his team laughed in relief and hilarity.

“Tell me, Captain.” Jayne as she unlocked the cell door with a flourish. ‘Why didn’t you just tell them why you were wearing their most sacred cultural symbol on their most sacred day?’

‘What?

“It’s their version of ANZAC Day. Did you not notice the hats?”

“Is that what it was?”

“They didn’t tell you?”

“No, they just locked us up.”

“We’ve been invited to stay for the rest of the festivities and they send their deepest apologies. You can go back to the SGC if you like but SG-2 and I are going to stay.”

“Sounds like fun Jayne. Boys?”

Charlie, Breaker, and Banjo all answered in the affirmative as they donned their gear.

When the five of them returned to the main festivities they were greeted warmly by an apologising high ranking officer of their military who introduced herself as Vice General Gabrielle Nolan.

“No harm done.” Tommy said with a firm handshake.

There were about four hours left of the festivities by that point and they had all been asked to participate in the closing service.

* * *

 

“On this, our most sacred day we extend the hand of friendship to our brothers and sisters from across the stars though we are worlds apart we have much in common. I am sure we have all herd by now the tales of The Diggers Of The ANZAC and marvelled at the parallels they have to our own forbearers. I would like to invite our new friends to close the days proceedings. Lieutenant Colonel Jayne Eastick, Captain Tommy Eastick, Lieutenant Charlie Franklin, Lieutenant Henry Morant, and Sergeant Andrew Patterson.”

Vice General Nolan stepped aside and Jayne, Tommy, Charlie, Breaker and Banjo stepped forward. Jayne was in the middle and half a step closer to the gathered crowd.

“It is customary at this point on our world to observe two minutes silence in memory of those we have lost. I would like to invite you to join us.”

There was two minutes dead silence observed standing at attention.

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Jayne said.

We will remember them.

They said as one.

Tommy, Charlie, Breaker, and Banjo stepped up level with Jayne.

“And now”, Jayne said, “We’d like to share with you a couple of great Australian songs. This one’s called Waltzing Matilda and The next one’s called Home Among The Gumtrees.”

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,  
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,  
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil,  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,  
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong  
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,  
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,  
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thorough-bred  
Down came the troopers One Two Three  
Whose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me  
Whose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Up jumped the swagman sprang in to the billabong  
You'll never catch me alive said he,  
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.  
  
Waltzing Matilda Waltzing Matilda  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me  
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong  
You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.

 

Tommy counted them in moments later for ‘Home Among the Gumtrees’.

Well, I've been around the world  
and ‘couple of planets or maybe more  
I've seen the sights, I've had delights  
On every foreign shore  
But when my mates all ask me  
The place that I adore  
I tell them right away  
  
Give me a home among the gumtrees  
With lots of plum trees  
A sheep or two, a k-kangaroo  
A clothesline out the back  
Verandah out the front  
And an old rocking chair  
  
You can see me in the kitchen  
Cooking up a roast  
Or Vegemite on toast  
Just you and me, a cup of tea  
And later on, we'll settle down  
And go out on the porch  
And watch the possums play  
  
There's a Safeways up the corner  
And a Woolies down the street  
And a brand new place they've opened up  
Where they regulate the heat  
But I'd trade them all tomorrow  
For a little bush retreat  
Where the kookaburras call  
  
Some people like their houses  
With fences all around  
Others live in mansions  
And some beneath the ground  
But me I like the bush you know  
With rabbits running round  
And a pumpkin vine out the back

At the close they linked arms and bowed. When the festivities came to a close they were guided back to the Stargate by the starlit night of the alien sky. They stepped through the Stargate to The SGC with arms slung around each other’s shoulders grinning. This would be an ANZAC Day Long remembered.


End file.
